Google runs a subscription blogging service in Korea called textcube.org which is acquired last year. This week the search giant has decided that those bloggers using its service no longer have the right to upload and host music on their blogs. The ban is a total ban on music regardless of whether the blogger created it themselves or it is copyright protected.

The move is in response to new anti-file sharing laws that will be enforced from July that will see websites shut down if copyright material is found to be hosted. Each website gets three warnings and then is forced offline.

In a statement from Google Korea the company states:

We will limit the uploading of music files to protect the copyright of songs and protect our users from possible damages from violating the law … We believe that these are appropriate measures to protect digital copyright.

Google feel they have no choice in the matter and are still working on a tool that could be used to differentiate copyright protected material from that produced by the blogger or other free sources. Until that time textcube.org will remain free of music. All existing music is also blocked, but bloggers can still gain access to it through their accounts.

This compliance with the government directive is in stark contrast to Google’s actions regarding a call for real name registrations on YouTube. Instead of complying Google stopped users from uploading videos or commenting on them if they are registered as living in South Korea. Changing their preferences to state they live somewhere else allows for continued service, however.

Matthew’s Opinion
You may wonder why Google would offer a workaround for YouTube, but not do the same thing for textcube.org. According to the Korea Times there may be two reasons for this. The first is that Google upset the South Korea government with how they handled the real name registrations and they don’t want to damage that relationship anymore. The other reason is that textcube.org is hosted on servers in the country meaning Google are obliged to abide by the laws set out by the government. Many of its other services are hosted elsewhere or outsourced to other companies.

I don’t see why Google couldn’t instead work with the new warnings system. If a user gets warned then the content in question is flagged then Google can automatically block it from further use on a blog. That way the user doesn’t get in trouble and Google is abiding by the laws. Isn’t that easier than blocking everything and upsetting your users?